Gunslinger

The market for the 2001-2007 Avantis is very limited...not many people even know the cars exist. its about one hundred made in a market where they're all but unknown doesn't necessarily translate into market value. Perceived value is one thing...realized value can be something completely different. When I owned my 2002 Avanti I heard comments that ran the gamut...from "The best looking car I've ever seen" to "It's nothing but a re-skinned Camaro". When I decided to sell the car several years ago interested buyers were few and far between...those who were interested wanted a bargain. On their best days Avantis are polarizing. That both works for and against you.

The terms are often used interchangeably but there is a difference…at least in this application. An air dam redirects oncoming air around the car…elimination turbulence under the car thus reducing drag. A deflector redirects air into the radiator where it would otherwise go under the car creating drag. For an Avanti the deflector has some air dam effect as well. Im not at my home computer or I could post a photo of the air deflector. It really does look like it was part of the car’s design. The air deflector was from a Saturn.

I believe Magnaflow was the factory installed exhaust...the 2002 I was the first purchaser of had come with Magnaflows. The first time I had the car serviced the mechanic said "This is not a GM factory exhaust system!"

Check an issue of the AOAI Magazine...I don't have one handy to see. There's a vendor who sells reproduced bumper parts. Don't know about the valve covers, though.

A potential issue to keep in mind is the front coil springs. It’s not uncommon for the springs to sag with age. That can create a clearance problem where the tires might contact the fiberglass wheel arch.

Timing advanced too far creates detonation which is harmful plus increases heat. How much depends on how much advance is there…also dependent on gasoline octane and quality. Lower octane fuel requires less timing advance. The Prestolite distributor in the Avanti had a reputation for wearing advance bushings…especially if not kept lubricated. The ‘70 Avanti I had I installed an air deflector as opposed to an air dam. While at low speed or sitting it was of no value at speed it easily kept the temperature 10 degrees or more less than it ran without the deflector…that was with an electric fan as well.

LS engines have been fitted but I don’t what mods had to be done. Hopefully someone here who has done that will fill you in. When I had a ‘70 Avanti II I bought a crate engine…350/330 hp version. For my style of driving (I’m not 25 anymore)…I think it was overkill. The 290hp crate engine would have done just fine plus it’s a regular fuel engine where the 330hp crate engine was premium fuel. With a 700R4 transmission it could spin the tires in any gear. There was minor issue with the 700R4…the transmission support had to be relocated somewhat and a new neutral safety switch/backup switch assembly had to be fabricated. No big deal but was necessary. You could go with converting it to a manual 5- or 6-speed transmission. I’m kind of sorry I didn’t do that but it would have cost more to do it the I would want. A 200R4 engine would actually have been a better choice…a better spread of gears and could have been built to 700R4 strength…plus being smaller. I also went with an aluminum driveshaft…less rotating mass and un sprung weight. I also used lightweight composite leaf springs for less weight. I went with an Edelbrock EFI which was trouble-free and performed superbly. Sticking with a carburetor would have certainly cost much less but I wanted EFI. If I had to do it again I would gone with electric power steering to get rid of all the hydraulics and hoses hanging down under the front but aftermarket electric power steering was just hitting the market at the time and I didn’t care to be a test case using it. Overall…the best I can tell is to follow the KISS principle…Keep It Simple, Stupid. Trying to do too much too fast can be counterproductive and expensive. I would suggest starting with the brake system and suspension first. Make sure the hog troughs are solid as replacing those eats up budget very fast. Then the drive train and cooling system. Interior and body last. Make a plan and stick to it. You can get into the weeds faster than you think with mission creep with any car but more so with an Avanti. Rebuilding an Avanti is an act of love…not of reason.

A major cause of Avanti heat at speed is air turbulence…the hot air is trapped in the engine bay and not getting out. An air deflector mounted under the radiator saddle can help immensely…it directs air up into the radiator and away from the engine bay. There are also other potential causes for temperatures running high at speed…incorrect engine timing…a weak lower radiator hose…sludge buildup in the engine block cooling passages…wrong or bad radiator cap…maybe others.

I'm guessing Morrow must have been where the company was headquartered or incorporated at the time...maybe even the import location as the car would have been assembled in Mexico by that time.

Studebaker International sells a base for your R1 with an AFB carb. Some of the other vendors may as well. They also sell one for the Edelbrock.

Why not have yours rebuilt? Any used Powershift is likely to require the same.

The battery bracket sold by SI was not standard equipment for an Avanti as far as I ever saw. It's an aftermarket base and bracket designed to support the battery rather than the fiberglass shelf of the inner fender. It's possible the later Blake era cars received them...possible early Kelly vehicles.

A number of times I've received emails from Bob Palma...who passed away over a year ago. Apparently someone has hacked the SDC servers and those of the AOAI and is doing mischief with emails.

I don’t have a photo of the ‘02 I owned but it didn’t say Studebaker and was assembled in 12/01…so as I said before either Mike Kelly hadn’t yet secured the rights to the Studebaker name or was using up door tags without the name when mine was built.

My '02 did have the door plate...it just didn't say Studebaker on it. It had all the other information though. I'm guessing either Mike Kelly hadn't secured the rights to the Studebaker name at that point or if he had...the plates hadn't been changed yet to reflect it.

Some…but not all…2001-2007 Avantis had the name Studebaker on the door tag. My ‘02 did not so it must have been after Dec. 2001 when my car was assembled that the name was added. Avanti Motors also built one demonstrator “Studebaker XUV” intending to market it as a Hummer type vehicle. I believe it was built on a Ford Super Duty chassis. Whether the prototype XUV was functional beyond a display demonstrator seems an open question. So…at some point Mike Kelly must have obtained the rights to the Studebaker name.

You might consider a new Edelbrock 500 cfm carburetor depending on price difference. You would have to get a new air filter base for the larger diameter but they're available through the vendors and you can still use the same top. An original Carter can certainly be rebuilt but it all depends on the dollars and whether the orange is worth the squeeze.

Look for a shop that has experience working on older Corvettes. That shows fiberglass experience. Maybe a local Corvette club can point you in the right direction.

If there was a blown head gasket or cracked cylinder head there should be coolant in the crankcase oil. Smell the dipstick and see if it smells like anti-freeze…the exhaust would have a similar smell. If that’s the case…don’t drive the car…ethylene glycol and engine bearings do not get along.

You can Google Delco plus the part number and may get some hits. Failing that…take it to a GM dealer parts department. They can plug the Delco number into their computer and see not only if the part is still available but what…if any…dealers in the country may have any sitting in inventory. That’s assuming GM hasn’t changed their numbering system.

Just because a Mopar part fits doesn't mean its right. Due to the weight of a different car the master cylinder can have a different bore diameter. That can give a harder or softer pedal feel. That also doesn't mean it won't work...just may change the braking characteristics of the Avanti. Just something to keep in mind when swapping master cylinders just because it fits the bolt pattern. The same goes for wheel cylinders for the rear brakes...I found that out the hard way.

Whatever records still exist are probably in Mexico.

No idea where Avanti Motors might have placed the paint code on the car after they discontinued the vanity mirror. By '83 Steve Blake had bought the company and changed many things. The build sheet would probably have the color but possibly not the color code. Most Avanti colors weren't custom to them...they were standard colors available to any auto maker. The '70 I owned was painted 1970 Cadillac brown when new though it was silver when I purchased it and had it repainted Hyundai White Mica when it was rebuilt.

Look on the bottom of the slide-out vanity tray in the glove box…or the back of the mirror itself. Avanti Motors usually put a sticker under there with the factory color and code. The big “if” is that if the sticker is still there or has fallen off over the years. If there it may not be readable anymore.

Many…if not most…certifications would have piggybacked on the GM compliance certifications. As a small manufacturer Avanti Motors was likely exempt from other safety requirements such as crash tests.